Exodus ch. 1-2, God saw, heard, knew them

Exodus ch. 1-2, God saw, heard, knew them

Ex 1:8-22, God saw, heard and knew them/ God called them through suffering

  Sometimes God calls His people through suffering. He calls the Israelites through suffering.

1. Israel's suffering and crisis

1) How did the Israelites suffer in the 400 years of slavery? How did they respond to these hardships? (Ch. 1)
The King of Egypt tried to wear down the Hebrews by forcing them into slavery and mistreating them. First, he made them work hard labor. Second, he ordered midwives to kill the newborns of Israel if they were sons. Third, he ordered his people to throw every newborn Hebrew boy into the Nile River.

2) In the midst of Israel's suffering, God was faithful and kept His promise. What was His promise? (1:9, 12; Gn. 15:5, 17:4-6) Despites the ruthless oppression, the Israelites continued to multiply and spread.

3) God knew Israel's hardship and pain. He remembered the promise He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. What moved God's heart to look after Israel? (2:23-25) God heard their cries for deliverance. God saw and heard their groaning.

2. Believers face trials and suffering.

The Bible is full of stories of God's people who faced and endured suffering in their lives. After they endured hardships, God increased their faith and they became mature spiritually. Let’s see some examples.
1) What kind of problem did Abraham face after God led him to Canaan? (Gn. 12:10-20)
A severe famine that led Abraham to Egypt was painful and hard. But through this suffering, Abraham learned to trust in God. This deepened Abraham's faith and trust in the Lord.

2) When David was a young man, Israel was facing violent attacks from the Philistines. Nevertheless through those battles, God was preparing Israel to welcome a rising king. How did this new kingdom begin for David as he fought Goliath? (1 Samuel 17:1-58)
As a result, David was able to defeat Goliath. It was an opportunity for him to serve the Lord. David trusted and waited upon the Lord.
3) The Bible shows Daniel and his friends went through great perils. What were they? (Dan. 3)
4) How did these hardships benefit them?

Suffering became a source of testimony and opportunity to experience God's amazing power. We do not have to fear opposition or suffering. Such trials can be an opportunity to seek God and experience Him more intimately.

3. Twisted circumstances for God's purposes

God gives the believers suffering to refine and prepare them for His good purposes.
1) God has chosen Joseph to be a channel of blessings. How did God prepare him to be an overseer of Egypt? (Gn. 37-50)
Joseph's life is marked with sufferings. He lost his mother when he was young. His brothers despised him. They sold him as a slave of an Egyptian officer. He was imprisoned because of a woman's accusation. He waited for a long time. But during that time, he was being prepared for a higher purpose. For God's people, suffering has a correlation with God's calling in life.

2) God had chosen the church of Jerusalem for world missions (Cf. Acts 1:8). However, they were satisfied with the growth of their church and became lazy. What was the event that drove them out to take on the missionary journey? (Acts 8:1-8) Churches in Jerusalem had to go through great persecution. Suffering opened up the gates for God's people to obey God and achieve world missions. Acts 1:8.

3) The apostle Paul cured a demon-possessed girl and was sent to prison because of it. While he was praising and praying in his cell, a miracle took place. The prison door opened up. How did the persecution bring benefit to Paul's ministry? (Acts 16:16-40) Many of his sufferings became opportunities for him to proclaim the Gospel to more people. Through these events, he established many churches.

    It is crucial for us to view suffering through God's perspective. We must learn to see these things in faith and have a ‘redemptive perspective'. God saw, heard, and knew when the Israelites cried out to Him. We must know that there is God's calling toward us behind our tribulation and suffering. There is a message behind the trials we face and the situation we are in. There is a reason behind everything, who we meet and what we go through in life. Amen.